Whittley CR2180 is a real rocket shipSteve Morgan | First Published: June 2017

What do you get when you cross a fishing boat with a luxurious cruising boat and then add some extra horsepower? The answer is Chris Odgers’ Whittley package that we took for a spin recently out of the Patterson River on Port Phillip Bay.

The ‘CR’ prefix to the model name is short for ‘Cruising,’ a genre of boats that Whittley Marine Group has been successfully building for over 50 years. But as a keen angler, Chris wanted the boat to be fishable as well, so it was interesting to see how he achieved this.

One of the big decisions for Chris was making the jump from an outboard powered boat to an inboard.

His main concern was not being able to see the angle at which the leg was tilted. All outboard owners know that you only need to look back to judge this with an outboard.

“Once you learn the gauges, though, it becomes easy and I can now go anywhere that I could with the outboard,” he continued.

Performance wise, one can’t help but giggle at the pickup that the Generation 5, 200hp Volvo Penta delivers through its single-leg DuoProp system. It’s seriously like someone dropped a V8 into a fishing boat. It sounds mean, it runs hard and it jumps onto the plane with the speed of a startled mullet when you plant the throttle.

It’s everything a grown man needs to enjoy the driving experience.

Comfort-wise, this boat puts my house to shame. With a large, well-appointed cabin, concealed kitchen areas and sinks in addition to a generous carpet lining on any surface that would take glue, The inboard motor cover is cleverly used as the base for a workbench that’d be equally at home with morning tea or tying a paternoster rig.

The main fishing area is compartmentalised onto the massive duckboard that covers the DuoProp leg. Providing both security (against falling in) and a convenient place to rest a baited line, the duckboard work station is the place where you can rig baits and cook the BBQ – keeping all the messy business separated from the clean and comfortable interior.

Is this the ultimate fishing boat? It’s not. Is it a cruising boat that the family will love? You bet. If the pendulum must swing towards family friendliness rather than spartan fishability, then you’ll need to check out the 2180.

Finally, you may think that a well-appointed boat like this would cost six figures. You’d be way off the mark if you did. CR2180 packages start at around $75,000. As tested, Chris’ boat would cost around $90,000 – that includes the stainless steel BBQ and the flat screen TV!

Make sure you visit www.whittleymarinegroup.com.au for more information or call your nearest dealer. You can also like Whittley Marine Group on Facebook to keep up with what Whittley and their owners are up to.

SPECIFICATIONS

Length

5.5m

Beam

2.33m

Fuel

112L

Sleeps

Two

Capacity

Six persons

Reads: 74

If only images could come to life. They can if you scan the QR code above to watch the video interview. The 200hp Volvo turns this CR2180 into a rocket ship in disguise.

A sneaky under-seat sink makes clean-up a breeze and saves a lot of space.

Most toilets are mounted in the middle of the cabin. The 2180 features a toilet in front of the helm. It’s a little more private.

There’s a whole lot of blade there on the DuoProp leg that transfers the power of the Gen5 200hp Volvo through to the water.

Like all Whittleys, space is used wisely. See the combination footrest and cooler receptacle?

Imagine the family spending some quality time here while the fishers among you get down to business a few feet away.

If you don’t have fun driving this rig, then it’s time to re-evaluate your priorities.

The DuoProp leg throws the 2180 up and onto the plane in a matter of seconds.

The Whittley CR2180 is a cruising boat with some fishing chops. Cleverly, it separates the messy stuff, like fishing and BBQing, onto the duckboard.

That’s probably the best-appointed cabin seen in a Fishing Monthly boat test, with plenty of legroom and headroom. Check out the flatscreen TV!

The helm is well organised and everything is flush-mounted.

The duckboard is truly huge and offers excellent opportunities for fishing, diving and swimming with the kids.

For most blokes, this is the second most important part of the boat. If you’re a hook-to-cook person, the Whittley ticks all of the boxes.